Criticism grows over Ryan Zinke's pick to head wildlife service

Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke is appointing a top critic of endangered species protections the head of the agency charged with protecting the critters, while moving to remove protections from nearly 300 animals. Susan Combs was supposed to serve as Zinke's undersecretary for policy, but because of holdups in the Senate, he has chosen to appoint her as the acting head of the Fish and Wildlife Service. The decision was taken last month, but news outlets began pointing out her hostility toward the Endangered Species Act on Wednesday. The Washington Post cited a statement in which she likened an animal being placed on the endangered list to a "Scud missile" — the weapon of choice of former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein. The Interior Department said Combs will serve as the acting assistant secretary for Fish and Wildlife, until a deal can be reached to confirm her as the agency's top policy official. But that didn't stop conservation groups and activists from pointing out Combs' lack of compatibility with the goals of the Endangered Species Act. "Putting Combs in charge of the Fish and Wildlife Service is like appointing an arsonist as the town fire marshal," said Stephanie Kurose, an endangered species specialist with the Center for Biological Diversity...MORE

 

Enviros are getting what they deserve on this one, LOL. For months Senator Durbin has had a hold on her nomination to be the assistant sec. of pba. Why? Because of what Zinke was doing on national monuments. The enviros were successful there, but now they have to deal with her being over the agency that administers the ESA, he he.

However, these stories are distorting her record. I've known and worked with Susan Combs since she was the Commissioner of Ag in Texas, and I don't believe she disagrees with the intent of the ESA. What she will bring is a reasonable reading of the act along with some common sense approaches on how to implement its various provisions. In reality, that is what the enviros fear. 

No arson here.  Just Susan Combs putting an end to the enviros game of using the ESA as a land use control device instead of a species protector.

Susan Combs Joins Trump’s Assault on the Endangered Species Act

While the national news media has been fixated on President Donald Trump’s Russian connections, failures on tax and health care revisions, and the lack of his promised border wall, his administration has been building a U.S. Department of Interior team to effectively dismantle the Endangered Species Act. Trump’s latest addition is the appointment of former Texas Comptroller Susan Combs as assistant secretary of interior for policy, management, and budget. A Vassar College graduate from a ranching family in Brewster County, Combs is no stranger to the critter versus people wars. Combs has been vocal in her opposition to how the Endangered Species Act, signed into law by President Nixon in 1973, has been implemented. Environmentalists have used the law not only to protect individual species of plants and animals for their sake as well as genetic diversity, but also to protect natural areas from development and industrial activity. Fundamentally, for Combs, this has meant the federal government puts animals ahead of property owner rights. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services, which administers the act, is an agency within the Department of Interior. “Susan Combs’ appointment as assistant secretary of the Interior is not welcome news for conservation,” said Joan Marshall, executive director of the Travis Audubon Society, in an email. “Combs and the Trump administration aim to roll back environmental protections in the name of economic progress. … If we manage nature for short-sighted, short-term gains, nothing will be left for future generations.”...more

They better be worried. We have worked together on several projects, and not only is she a joy to work with, the lady is intelligent and knows how to get things done. Sic'em Susan.